William Johnson and the Serpent's Secret (Unfinished)
by williamjohnson906
Summary: Harry Potter's adventures may have seemed adventourous and fun at first, but what reprocussions did it bring, what secrets does Illvermorny hide, and what will this new 'chosen one' have to bring to the table to make his first year as an Ilvermorny survivable?


**Prelude**

Matthew and Kim Johnson sat in their common looking house on 205 Primrose Road in suburban Georgia, nursing their newborn son in their lamp-lit, dim living room. Kim cradled the infant on the large blue loveseat, listening to the harsh rain pound against the roof and glass windows.

"Do you think… he'll be like you, Matt? Different?" She said, concerned.

"If he is, I'll love him just the same." the lanky man said, sitting on the couch next to his wife.

The woman wasn't keen on her husband's secret, being rather afraid of the world he had come from. The rain pounded harder, along with a bright, blue lightning strike from outside, that sounded very close. This made the lamps flicker and the house shake. "I don't want him to go. I don't want him to be a part of that. It's too dangerous…" she whispered, barely audible over all of the outside noise. "Honey, I highly doubt that-" Matt started, interrupted by a knock on the front door. Getting up, with difficulty, as he was very tired from work that day, walked to the door and pulled it open.

In the doorway stood a very tall, skinny young looking woman, with a very long neck with sleek dirty- blonde hair, pulled back into a loose ponytail. She wore a pair of half-moon spectacles, with very large green eyes behind them. She wore an odd, flowing red cloak, with vibrant patterns fixed upon them. Dripping wet with rain water, she ducked beneath the doorway, and greeted the man.

"Hello, Mr. Johnson." She said with a light voice.

"Professor Fontaine, what are you doing here?" He said back, startled by her sudden arrival. The last time she had seen the woman was when he was in school. Kim looked towards her, confused and a little uneasy, still holding the newborn to her chest, tight.

"I'm terribly sorry, for coming at a...rather harsh night," She said, sorrow in her tone, "but I've come, bearing hard news. I thought I'd let you know." The man looked fearful, but invited her to sit down. She made her way to the other loveseat across from Kim, still rocking the sleeping creature, not taking her eyes of the strange-looking woman. Matt sat down next to his wife, awaiting the woman to speak.

"The MACUSA has dug up some dirt on that dark wizard case you've been leading." She said in a foreboding tone.

"You mean that You-Know-Who worshipper? The one making those death threats toward everyone? I thought that was just some kid, playing pranks." He replied, not looking forward to what was coming next, shifting in his seat as he did so.

"That's what we thought too, but it seems much bigger than that. You see, that _kid_ , is dangerous, they've reported that he's insane, an Azkaban escapee. Some other aurors discovered some evidence from one of his hideouts. Books discussing details of what You-Know-Who did, and his… _history,_ with the Potters." She said sternly, "I fear he wants to replicate what He did, start over, and this time, be successful."

"Why are you telling _me_ this? Why not the chief over at the office?" Matt demanded, staring blankly at the woman's eyes, while Kim shook, nervous.

"I fear… He plans, to target your son…" She whispered, narrowing her eyes towards the boy.

Kim rocked harder, fearful.

"Why, why him?" The man said, raising his voice in worry. "What has he got to do with any of this?"

"The man… he… told us." She said, still keeping her green eyes on the baby. "We received the letter this morning, no reason, no motive."

Kim began to cry, sobbing into the father's shoulder. He looked at the boy then back at Fontaine. "Let me see…" he said softly.

She handed him a scrolled up piece of parchment from her carry bag. He unrolled the dirty object:

 _Lord Voldemort's work has not yet been finished. His beliefs cannot be killed. I will finish what he started. Tell Matthew and Kimberly Johnson, their newborn son is in mortal danger as of today. I'm truly sorry for this, but in order for us to rise back to power, he must be killed. You all will see why I chose him in time…_

 _W.D._

The two terrified parents sat, sweating and staring at the parchment, too terrified to speak. "I don't think this is any more than an empty threat, and he may still attend the school-" she was interrupted by the man leaving his place from the couch and returning from the other room with a raincoat on. "Not my son, professor. If he means what he says, I can't let it come true. I'm going to have to handle this at the office." He kissed his wife and son goodbye and headed for work into the pouring rainstorm.

"Your boy is stronger than you think, Kim." Fontaine whispered, "I can feel it. It's all going to be okay." Kim then formed a tight embrace with the tall woman and they both prayed that this nightmare would soon resolve itself.

 **Chapter One- Revelation On Primrose**  
It was a dreary, foggy morning on the third of August on 205 Primrose Road in suburban Georgia. Inside this particular, common looking house, in the upstairs bedroom lie a ten, soon to be eleven year old boy. He slept on his small bed against the wall, his very skinny frame twisting and turning over the covers and blankets trying to find the perfect position to continue his dreams; all the while messing up his short, sandy brown hair even more than it already was. Upon accepting the fact that he was not going to be able to sleep peacefully once more, he opened his bright, vibrant blue eyes. He sat up, groggy and dazed from the speed at which he did it, and searched for his square rimmed glasses, which was quite a bit difficult, seeing as he was blind without them.  
His eyes wandered outside his window, looking at the morning sun breaking through the trees.

Getting up from his small bed, he walked, limping slightly as his foot had gone half to sleep, to his desk and moved his hands around through the dark for his specs. Finding them with relative ease, he placed them on his very large nose and was very pleased at seeing his room clearly instead of the opposite. His room wasn't the cleanest, but neither was he. Socks strewn on the carpet floor, kicked off in sleep, books littered his desk next to a laptop and a moderately large television in the center of the wall. He walked through the long room that took up the entire upstairs, something that the boy particularly liked, as being alone seemed like a necessity every once in awhile. Heading downstairs, still half-asleep, he tripped down a few stairs, balancing himself at the bottom. He peeked into his mother's room, to see if she was still asleep. Squinting through the door crack, he saw that the sheets were thrown and pillows were rumpled, it was obvious she had left the bed, and his father mustered 've been at work. He hurriedly continued into a small jog as he entered the small kitchen and stepped on the tiled floor.

Before looking through the fridge and cabinets for an early snack like he usually did, he noticed a small, white envelope with a bright gold seal lying on the marble counter. Thinking that this wasn't an ordinary light bill, he picked it up with his small hands and studied it closely, and was immediately startled at the address on the envelope:  
 _  
To: Mr. William T. Johnson  
205 Primrose Road  
The Upstairs Bedroom_

While understandably more confused than he could've been, he barely had anytime to process this as his mother, a small, plump, short haired woman, snatched away the letter rather aggressively, and stuffed it in the garbage not so subtly. She pushed her brown bangs out of her face while giving a rather harsh stare at the young boy.  
"What was that for? It was to me." He asked innocently.  
"It's spam, no-good junk mail." She said whilst pulling out pans preparing for breakfast.  
"You didn't even open it," he said disappointed. "We could've at least read it."  
"Please, don't worry about it, okay? We've still got to get everything ready for your party today."She said smiling with much love in her tone, placing fresh, wonderful smelling pancakes on the table. "Happy Birthday, Will."

As a few hours had passed, a handful of family members had arrived into the sunlit, small living room. Will had greeted each and every one of them with enthusiasm, and was more than ecstatic to see people he rarely had seen, such as his grandmother, a small, skinny woman with very short grey hair and large grey eyes with a jovial young soul that Will personally loved the most just by the things they had in common. His Aunt Pam, a tall, intelligent woman with small, twinkling green eyes, long brown hair and square glasses like Will's own, with a sense of humor that Will adored, and finally, his father. Will didn't see his father much, he was always told that it was work business.

Not sure of the actual reason behind his absences, there hadn't been a birthday party that his father missed. A lanky, unusually tall man with a large nose and a scar on his eye, with his signature baseball cap upon his head, a trimmed goatee, and a baggy shirt and blue jeans carrying a long, wrapped present in his arms. Sitting the gift on the large living room couch, as he finished greeting the others, giving his wife a kiss and embrace, he spoke amongst all the relatives:  
"Happy Birthday, Will!"  
"Thanks, dad!" Will shouted, wrapping his arms around his father's waist with ease, ecstatic. "I missed you..."  
"I missed you too, son. How was fifth grade?"  
"Oh, y'know, same as usual, no friends, bullied a whole lot."  
Will huffed.  
"Oh well that's good!" His father said, while Will looked at him puzzlingly. "You're going to a new school this year, you got your letter right?"

A tiny epiphany happened in the young boys head. The whole room had gone silent with only the chirping of birds outside the open window. Slowly, all eyes were laid upon Will's mother. She gazed back at her ex-husband, a fury lit in her eyes. Pam was the first one to speak. "Kim, Matt, you can't keep it a secret from him, he has every right to know." She said with as much sympathy as she could muster. His mother and father stood very still, looking at each other with a very intense feel about them, as if having a conversation with only their eyes. Will looked back and forth too confused to speak and finally, after what felt like a lifetime, mustered up the courage to speak. "What's going on? Why are you guys acting so weird?" He said, a little louder than he should've. The next hour or four were the awkwardest Will had ever witnessed.

Throughout out the night his parents were silent towards one another, each of them giving the same stare to the other. This isn't exactly what Will had hoped for on his own birthday, but decided staying silent was the best option, but increasingly across the evening the heat in his body built, and the temper in his very soul was rising at an alarming rate. He hated the fact that his family wasn't getting along, he hated the fact that they were being so stubborn. And he certainly hated the fact that they weren't acting like they usually were.

He sat at the small, marble kitchen table, having to change positions in the rickety old chair as his impatience increased. They were beginning to open presents, sitting around the living room table with comfortable cool air blowing above from a small ceiling fan on the roof, with the giant love seats and couches in a circle. Will wasn't ever excited about the whole opening gifts ordeal,(He disliked people buying things only for him.) When they had finally finished, Will thought he had received a relatively good haul. His grandmother had given him some new knitted clothes, that were bit big on him, his aunt had given him a handful of new books about animals and fictional stories much to Will's pleasure. His mother had given him a new pair of glasses, that which were square and large, and of the color black. Will loved these new pair of specs, and it, along with the other gifts, made him almost forget that his parents were acting like small children with their bickering. That is, until his father gave Will the long, strange-looking present he had carried in earlier. His father handed it to him last, and very carefully whilst he did it.

Will examined it carefully, still looking quite perplexed at the object, quickly but safely, he opened the gift to find a dirty, oak wood, sweeping broom, and in very small, engraved gold letters on the end, read:

 _Crickety Comet._

Will wasn't the one to be ungrateful, but was understandably very confused at what he saw in front of him. His mother, however, had a different reaction. Her face turned a bright red color that resembled a ripe tomato, immediately stomping towards the cleaning object and taking it from sight. She returned still the same bright color and raised her voice towards Will's father. "Absolutely not, Matt! He is not inheriting this... this _thing_!" She bellowed, making his grandma and Pam wince on the enunciation of each syllable. "And why not? He needs to know about this stuff! He deserves this!" His father retorted, his temper rising as well. The other three looked on, not knowing how to react to the sudden argument. Will was perplexed as to what they were yelling about and his patience, that had been decreasing ever since his father had brought up the letter, was reaching it's limit. He watched as his parents stood, both full of rage, their obnoxiously loud comebacks piercing his mind and brain, he winced his eyes, holding them shut very tight. He had never before seen his own parents act like this, it was getting to him, not only was the argument affecting him, but Pam and his grandmother as well, and to him, that drew the line.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! You both stop it right now! I've had enough! It's my birthday and you're going to act like this!?" Will roared in rage, surprised at hearing his voice this deep and menacing. As soon as he did this, a large crash uttered around the house, making the loud sound ring in his ears. All heads turned. His mother looked at him, not with anger, but with fear, as behind Will, sat a broken ceiling fan, glass shattered on the carpet floor, and the fixture rolling about, with the wooden wings cracked and smashed on the ground. He looked around him, terrified. Everyone looked surprisingly calm with it, except for of course his mother.  
"W-what did I just do?!" Will asked, embarrassment wavering in his voice.  
No answer was given, as his mother took it upon herself to clean the mess that was created in the middle of the living floor room and her barking orders towards his father to comfort Will, placing him on his small bed and telling him it would be okay.

Over the next half hour, Will sat on his small bed, curled in fetal position, attempting to read one of his books his aunt had given him earlier. He must've attempted at reading the book more times than he could count, but every time he tried starting a page, the words jumbled together, his thoughts clouding his mind. How did that fan fall like that? Was it a coincidence? Or was he the cause of it? His mind then traveled to the letter. What was in that envelope? Why hadn't his mother wanted him to see it? Lastly, his final thoughts were on the old broom he was given earlier. Was that a joke? Was there some secret behind it? His mother had said something about inheriting it...  
He sat, looking around the long bedroom, thinking about these strange and fearful moments and wondering what his family were conversing about downstairs.

After some time had passed, His father spoke up: "Kim, into the dining room, Will," he said calling upstairs, "come with us." Looking up from his book, his heart started pounding out of his chest, he hobbled his way difficulty down the stairs. He followed his mother and father into the other room. On his way, he heard his grandmother ask Pam a question that sounded like: "How do you think he'll take it?" As he walked, his thoughts ran wild. Had he done something wrong? Was he about to get a major punishment for breaking the fan? It's not like he meant to. This seemed like a little too much in his opinion. They led him into the dining room and told him to sit down in one of the chairs that lined the long dinner table. He did what he was told, and tried to quiet his rapid heartbeat. He was starting to sweat a bit, and the bright chandelier that hung from the ceiling didn't help him cool it off a bit. He had never seen his mother this strict and serious before, she was usually so positive and upbeat. Finally, his she spoke. "Will, I've been... keeping some secrets from you for a while. I should've told you sooner, but..." She trailed off and she sat down in a chair across the table from the boy. Will was still nervous, but his father finished. "You're mother, is normal, but, you and I, we're not. We have abilities, er...magical abilities." His mother started to weep quietly. "Will, you're special. He paused. You're a wizard."

"I'm a what!?"  
"A wizard. And so am I. There's a whole land out there, schools, cities."  
Will took it as a joke. His mother looked at him perplexed, as if she couldn't believe his reaction to this news. He laughed until his lungs hurt. Snorting and banging his hand on the table, thinking it was a silly joke from his parents for his birthday. It wasn't until his father pulled what looked like an abnormally large stick from his jeans pocket, with slight ease as to how loose it was, and muttered two words while waving it in a pattern.  
" _Accio, Letter_."  
What sounded like a large gust of wind flowing right through the room passed. Only a few seconds later, the letter with the bright gold seal that Will's mother previously had thrown away a few hours ago soared through thin air from the doorway. It flew past Will, who was absolutely appalled at the sight. The seal gleamed majestically as the chandelier light reflected against it. He watched the letter, unblinking, land right into his father's long fingers. His father's large blue eyes looked at the letter with a stare that seemed like a he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He then handed the letter to Will's mother and she stared at it with a mix of what looked to be pride and worry. She handed it to the small boy. "I didn't want you to turn out like your father. That's why he's never around, he's different. He does different stuff than what we do. I never wanted you to know, it's too dangerous."

She narrowed her watery blue eyes towards the letter. "But you deserve to be told. It's your choice." She slid the letter across the table with a shaking hand as Will's heart beat faster than ever and his breaths were clumsy, disorganized, and in a quick pattern. There he sat, glaring at the sealed envelope, it's bright taped seal teasing and seducing him to break it open, to uncover the secrets inside. "Open it." His father said sternly. Will, struggling with the cuffs of his oversized sweater, took his small fingers and slowly unpackaged the letter that had been hidden inside. Will pushed up his new large glasses and with a worried look from his mother, read the formal looking passage that was dirty and stained yellow, and seemed to bizarrely been written in very sloppy handwriting with fresh ink.

 _Dear Mr. Johnson,_

We are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted into the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All wizards, at age eleven are invited to this establishment to further develop your unique skills in hopes of making the future brighter for the rest of the wizarding world and community. Enclosed you will find a schedule of the classes that you will be taking and the supplies needed or accepted for these classes and activities. We hope to see you here on the first of September, and hope your first year is magical! If you have any further questions, please send an owl immediately. Thank you!  
Yours truly, Headmistress Agilbert Fontaine

.

Will looked up from the letter and didn't really know what to think. His mind rushed to one million conclusions at once. Who was this "Agilbert"? Did they have a secret nocturnal creature he wasn't aware of? His father had delivered this life-changing information to him so fast, and it certainly didn't help that Will was so young and to be told this all of a sudden was very shocking to say the very least. He still couldn't believe that he just saw an envelope float through midair like that, and he knew very well that he was not prepared for whatever else that stick could do. This wasn't to say that he wasn't excited about this news either, he just hadn't collected his thoughts very well, and he felt like he needed to clarify some things with his parents first. He read the letter twice through and as he looked up about to unload a thousand questions upon the both of his parents he saw his mother and father looking at him longingly. His father scratched his beard as if thinking about something, and his mother had both of her hands on her mouth and nose, her eyes still full with tears. "There's much more than just this, Will. We've kept so much from you, and it's about time you knew." His father said, getting up from one of the chairs and re-adjusting his cap. "Come with me."

Will obliged, but not before he ran to his mother and gave her a comforting embrace that made her quiet her sobs. It seemed to him that she was slowly, but surely getting over this bizarre revelation. They both then followed back into the living room. As Will walked in the living room, he began to feel a bit dizzy, clumsily attempting to walk in a straight line, thinking that this whole ordeal was a dream. He was scared, nervous. What was this 'wizard school'? How had his dad performed that supernatural feat? How had he made that ceiling fan crash? What was he about to go into?

As he hobbled into the living room he was relieved to see that the fan from earlier was picked up with only a few splinters littered on the carpet. The first words spoken as they sat on the couch in the living room were by Will's grandmother. "Well, how was it?" She asked, looking directly at Will. Not soon after this, all eyes were on him. He tried to form a sentence, but he was still slightly shocked, so the only thing he could muster was a weak: "I... I dunno. I've g-gotta lot of questions..."

"Well go ahead then! There's no need to be scared honey!" She sounded as if she had an urge to answer one of his questions, so he went with the first one that jumped to his mind. He looked around the tall room and at the others. His aunt had her arm wrapped around his mother, both with looks of comfort, his father, looking full of pride and, to Will, could've sworn he saw a small smirk on his face. He looked at his grandmother again, her still awaiting his reaction. "What's a... what's a wizard?" Will asked, not believing the words he had just spoken. His grandmother chuckled, and after a few moments, answered. "A wizard, is a person, just like you or I, that have to eat, drink.

The only difference, is the fact, that we have powers, abilities that others don't." This answer was still vague and didn't exactly have the answer he wanted delivered. He shifted in his seat as his body was beginning to go slink into the cushions. After readjusting, he began to ask another question. "Yeah, but, I meant, how? How did dad make that letter float?" He asked, happy that he made this question a bit more specific. "Well, anyone can do that," she said, looking at his father with a teasing tone. "If you know the spell."  
"The spell? I'm so confused." Will said. "Kim," Pam cooed whilst looking at his mother with a sad look, "This is why you should've told him, bless his heart, he doesn't even know how to cast!"  
Will ran his fingers through his hair still having trouble understanding.

"Look son," his father said. "This school's first day is September first. We'll give this whole thing to you gradually, and when the time comes, we'll pick up your supplies and cross that bridge, okay?"  
Will nodded. He waved and hugged his family members goodbye. They told him not to worry and that this was something he shouldn't be scared about. He tried to believe them, but this was a lot for an eleven year old to take in.

The next few weeks leading up to the special day went by exceptionally quick. Over this period of time, and with great difficulty, Will learnt a small deal from his father. He learned about the bare minimum of this new world that was recently presented to him. All he was told by his father was that his mother was indeed not a wizard, the ceiling fan incident was normal, as this is the power within attempting to be let out, m and that Will would "Find out everything in time.", whatever the heck that meant. Will didn't want to admit it, but he was nervous, and was feeling a bit more sad than he thought he would be about leaving his old school. He hadn't many friends, but he was used to it. This new life that he was about to lead, was more foreboding than anyone could realize.

 **Chapter 2 - A Trip to Remember**

As the first of September approached, Will had an average understanding of this mysterious, fleeting world he'd been taught about not only by his father, but his own grandmother and aunt, who were members of this world as well. At this point he wasn't much versed in the whole situation, and as the date creeped up,was more and more excited of going to this prestigious school rather than melancholy and depressed.

On the morning of the thirty-first of August, Will slept in the same ruddy room on the same small bed that he had done everyday. He slept soundly and snored loudly enough that the sounds echoed off the walls. He awoke earlier than he would've wanted and, seeing that attempting to go back to sleep would take much more effort than he was willing to give, he settled for getting out of bed instead. He was a bit dysfunctional, like he usually was, but the thought of receiving his school supplies today set him off. This thought suddenly jolted his body and mind with full energy, as he must've jumped about four steps at the bottom. He skipped through the house on his way to the laundry room. Not terribly worried about his appearance, he picked out an oversized burgundy hoodie with baggy tan pants along with matching running shoes. After showering, he waltzed into the living room, still visualizing the thoughts of the new journey on which he was about to embark. He found his mother and father waiting on the oversized love seat, awaiting the young child. His mother, to his surprise looked much more distraught and slightly less calm than the night before, and his father, looking more or less the same, was prepared and ready to go.

After another hour or so, Will was all set with supplies list in hand, and had a ball of sizzling excitement inside him, waiting to burst. His mother and father rushed him to no end, constantly raising their voices telling him to hurry it up. After brushing his teeth and combing his hair, he grabbed his supplies list and began to step out the door. "C'mon, you guys! Let's go!" He shouted, gleaming. His mother looked at him, her eyes welling up with tears again. "My sweet boy..." She sobbed, embracing Will tightly. "Mom, aren't you coming with us?" He asked, confused as to why she was so upset still. "No, I'm staying here, no room for people with no magic...Be good, do good, and have a good time! And write me! Please! I love you!"

Will told goodbye to his mother and departed the house with his father. They walked into the dewy front lawn. His father then stood in the middle of the giant patch of greenery. He waited, pulled out the large stick out of his jeans pocket, and said the familiar word he had heard before come from his father's lips: " _Accio, Broomstick!"  
_ Will felt like snorting with laughter, but judging from what happened when he had done the same thing weeks ago, he decided on not doing so. Then, they sat in silence, listening to the small robins chirping and the light wind knock leaves from the autumn trees, making sunlight peek through them. All of a sudden, as if from nowhere, a dirty, old broomstick flew from the clouds at a high speed that would make a fighter jet jealous. Will immediately cocked his head towards the incoming object and saw that it landed in his father's hands with not even a blink come from him.

This was the same broom that was presented to Will on his birthday a few weeks ago. The impact of the broom when it landed in his palm made the leaves blow all over and Will could've sworn it had made a few trees shake as well. Behind them the front door opened, and Will's mother appeared from the doorway waving them off. "Please, Matt! Be careful with him! You know how those things can make you sick, and don't go too fast, be easy, okay?" She cried, with much concern in her voice. "Dad, what exactly... are we about to do with that...thing?" Will asked while turning back to mom, returning the wave. "This 'thing' is yours. I used it in school on the Quadpot team. I was a good athlete, y'know!" He said as he fiddled with the raggedy object and ignoring Will's mother. Tired of asking more questions, Will nodded along. "Alright, hop on!"  
"Excuse me?"  
His father had fixed the broom to where it was fixed, still and stiff as a board in seemingly thin air. His father then wrapped his leg over it and sat on it as if the broom was able to carry much more than just a dustpan.  
"Get on or we'll hit rush hour! Let's go!"

Excitedly but nervously, Will carefully moved his leg over the broom, adjusting himself slightly to get more comfortable. He and his father looked back at his mother, still waving. Not too long after he was situated, his father shouted: "Hold tight!" Will grasped his father's waist as tight as he could without a seconds thought, to the point where his fingernails were digging into the lanky man's skin through his shirt, and just like that, they were off with a crack in the air. The acceleration Will experienced was somewhere close as described as a bullet shooting from a gun times ten. The roar of the wind broke against his eardrums, and it felt as if he was on the outside of a fighter jet. His hair flew around his face making it hard for him to see much. He was still gripping his father tightly, of fear of falling off the tiny object. As soon as this massive speed boost was finished, Will opened his eyes.

The only thing he could make out, due to the speed at which they were flying, were the clouds whipping past them, the horizon line of the land around them, which shown tall buildings and structures, and the tiny ordered houses directly below them, that happened to look like play toys at their height. His eyes searched, and upon squinting and finding it, He looked down at his home. His mother was out of view now. He looked around once more a little less scared of the height at which they were soaring. He saw his old elementary school through a small bush of trees, the kids he went with, full of nostalgia. He was hit with the many memories of being bullied and made fun of by the bigger kids. The contrast between those moments and the one he was experiencing now was beautiful to the boy. He couldn't believe he was actually flying. _Flying_. He attempted to shout with glee at the top of his lungs, but every time he tried the blaring winds took his breath away. He must've caught his glasses from falling into the abyss below hundreds of times, but he didn't mind. It seemed as if his father was having the same problem with his cap, having to keep it steady with his right hand and steer the broom with his left. They dwindled in the sky, soaring over highways and forests, dodging side to side as they went faster and faster. Will clenched his father's lower waist tight as the wind picked up, making his eyes water and his gums flap slightly. "D-Dad?! What are you doing?!" He managed to utter. However, his father remained silent, focused on his task at hand. Will had decided on trusting his father and letting him concentrate. The winds picked up even more, with and the horizon line he saw just a few moments ago become a blur, his arms fixed, rigid around his father, trying his absolute best to draw breath, he failed to do so, and his very baggy pants and hoodie were about to practically rip-off his body at the speed at which they were going, and suddenly, at with one last look at the seemingly normal world around him, he closed his eyes tight, and suddenly felt light as a feather.

As soon as the harsh feeling had left him, his arms still fixed, he opened his eyes. Around, he saw a large, grassy, enclosed circular field in which alleys, wooden cottages with huge amounts of smoke billowing from many of them made themselves visible. He spotted tall, dome structures, reaching the clouds in the bright sun-filled sky. Along with what had to be at least a couple hundred people wearing odd, cloaked apparel, walking through the many zig zagging pathways going throughout the long city. The village below them accompanied colorful signs, posters, and lights. Owls littered the skies, carrying what looked to be small letters attached to their feet. He looked around in awe of what we saw before him. "Like what you see, do ya?" His father shouted. "Yeah, this is amazing!" He said back, appalled and relieved that the trip was over. His father steered the broom down lower to the ground behind one of the cabins, giving Will a much closer look at to what this bizarre place actually consisted of. They stepped off the broom carefully.

Will was a bit light-headed from the ride, but as he touched the ground his eyes cleared. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and saw the beautiful new world that had appeared around him. There were lines of oak wooden cottages for what seemed like miles, with posters plastered on their large glass-pane windows. Will walked closer to one of the colorful illustrations, and to him, seemed like they were moving! He spun around, looking at the hundreds of bustling civilians, wearing colorful odd robes, some younger than Will himself, carrying different sorts of books, bags, and what looked to be witch cauldrons of varying sizes and shapes. He stood in the middle of the cobblestone path, bewildered at the amount of colorful sparks and flying penny-sized blue creatures swirling in the air. "What is this place, Dad?" Will asked loudly, a huge grin spread across his face. "This, this is Salem, son." His father replied, dodging passersby, still holding the broom.

Will had the sudden temptation to break loose into the crowd and explore this insane town put before him. "It's one of our many small towns, we come here for most necessities. Y'know, food, school supplies, heck, I'm sure there's a pet shop around here somewhere." His father said, peeking into one of the nearby shops. He approached Will and drug him to the side, away from the traffic. "Will, I'm giving you a few knuts and sickles to use for spending. You've got your supplies list, so go on ahead and I'll catch up with you after." He said sternly, looking into Will's eyes coldly. As Will turned to leave, his dad grabbed him by the sleeve. "Promise me, you'll be safe. I know the people that run these shops, if you need help you ask them." He said, again with the same cold stare. "Dad, where are you going?" Will asked, raising his voice so his father could hear him over the noise."Work business." his father replied, being short with him and swatting a blue pixie away with his hand. "Now promise me." he repeated. "Er… I promise." Will stated blankly, looking into the window, something shiny catching his eye. With that, his father handed him the broomstick, and disappeared into the busy crowd of shoppers in front of him.

Alone, Will looked where the cobblestone road had led, and it was rather confusing to say the least. He pulled out of his pants pocket a crumpled up piece of parchment that listed his school supplies. He uncurled the parchment and squinted at the writing:

 _Hello First-Years! These are the supplies you will need for this school year!:_

 _Potions and Chemistry Textbook- Year 1_

 _Transfiguration Textbook- Year 1_

 _Charms and Hexes for Beginners_

 _History of Magic- Basic Level Set_

 _Defense Against The Dark Arts- Basic Spells_

 _Dark Arts (optional)- Year 1_

 _Flying Broom of your choice. (Some will be provided.)_

 _Quills_

 _Ink Bottles_

 _Parchment_

 _Any school pet of your choice. Animals that are considered venomous/poisonous will be banned immediately! (optional)_

 _A working wand_

 _Thank you!_

 _-Illvermorny Staff_

He looked up from the parchment, deciding which direction to go. He settled for going in order of the list, heading for the nearest book shop: ' _Brendylum's Books A Plenty',_ a small little stone cottage, with a contrasting neon sign blinking the stores name of vivid colors in orange and pink. He made his way there and stepped inside through the packed, small doorway, to the point where he had to duck slightly to avoid hitting his forehead. Stepping inside, he immediately dropped his jaw. The ceiling hadn't been where it should've, as the bookshelves on either side of the store had reached for what looked like an eternity. Will tried staring harder, but all he saw were blackness. He prayed that his books weren't all the way up there. He looked around some more, seeing that the left side of the store was rugged, with bookshelves made from oak and cobwebs littered the corners. It was dusty and looked as if hadn't been tended to in years and smelt of mold. On the other right side, however, shown shelves lined with decorative neon lights, flashing colors that alternated between blue, red, and yellow. The floors were tiled and spotless, with a mop sloshing it's water on the floor by itself. Thankfully, the store was practically empty, with only a handful of children in adorned robes searching the shelves. He went up to the front counter, also in keeping with the dual-decorative theme, with seemingly no one there.

"Er… excuse me… is anyone up there?" Will asked, peering over the tall counter. When he received no answer, he began to turn around, until suddenly a high, shrill voice reached his ears. "Well, hello there, handsome!" she said. Will turned back around only to be met with a woman that stood upon the countertop, whose height was comparable to a doll toy, with a very weak nose and beady, black eyes, along with long, tangled black hair that hung to the floor, and razor-sharp fangs that shown when she spoke. She wore blue and green robes with a matching witch hat atop her head, which was much bigger than she was. "Can I help you?" she squeaked, unblinking. "Yes, please," Will replied, still examining the odd looking woman, "I need a few first year books please." "Ah, so you're a new Illvermorny student, are ya?" She said, hopping from the counter with a thud and leading Will towards one of the neon shelves. "Yes ma'am, I'm just kinda new to this." He replied, eyeing the small woman. She fiddled with the shelves for a few minutes, retrieving book by book by climbing different altitudes with a step ladder. "There we go! All the books you'll need!" She squeaked once more, plopping the handful of books on her countertop with a _smack._ "I assume you have the finances to cover this?" Will thought back to the bizarre ornaments his father had given him not to long ago. He reached in his pockets and dug out two dozen odd looking relics and placed them on the counter, having them roll around.

"Is that enough?"

"No. It's not."

"Oh, oka- Wait a minute. What the heck. How is that not enough?"

"You don't have enough, handsome."

"Give me the books, lady."

"I may… if you hand over that broomstick you're carrying. I could use one of those."

Her beady eyes narrowed towards the broom Will had been holding.

"Not happening."

"Then _no_ deal."

Will knew for sure that this lady stranger was attempting to swindle him. He may have been young, but he wasn't stupid. Thinking quickly and knowing that this was his best option, he snatched a knapsack from a shelf, stuffed the books and money inside it, and dashed outside the store doors, knocking over a group of obnoxiously loud teenage witches. As soon as the bright sun and the cool autumn wind hit his face he ducked behind a stone alley clutching the broom and the knapsack in his hands. He heard the old elvish woman squeal and scream in fits of rage, surprisingly able to keep pace with nimble boy. Onlooking wizards and witches watched in shock and some even laughed. Will didn't care, he kept dodging streetlamps and billboards before tripping on what felt like a rock and landed flat on his nose in the muddy dirt. He shifted his body to get a better view, only to see that he had been cornered by the thieving imp woman, her own wand ready. He staggered back, but before he could be struck by the woman, a boy with his own wand had stepped in front of him.

 **Chapter 3 - Friendly Faces**

A boy somewhat on the large side, no older than Will, with large cheeks, a curved nose, weak chin, and small, light-blue eyes, along with long, dark brown hair that flew in the autumn breeze. He wore a blue hoodie and dark jeans, with matching blue running shoes. He stood, wand ready and pointed, in between Will and the small woman creature. "Get back, Brendylum, you're not thieving this one." He said in a threatening tone.

"Oh? What will you do, child? Jinx me with a licorice wand?" She retorted condescendingly.

"Last chance, I'm warning you…"

"You won't do a damned _thing_!" she shouted, her wand still raised.

" _Incarcerous_!" The boy yelled, waving his wand, having a seconds better reaction time than Brendylum.

Then, from thin air, hard, knotted ropes wrapped themselves around the imp's small frame leaving her to fall on the floor hard, and yelp in pain. Will looked on, relieved but startled. She struggled for a good bit, before laying still, panting on the ground. Will got up from the dirt, brushing himself off. He looked around. All the shoppers had certainly not paid attention to the situation that had unfolded, walking about with their purchases as if this was a totally normal occurrence, which Will didn't doubt. Will turned towards the wizard that had just saved him.

"Thanks a lot, good thing you were there." Will said thankfully.

"Oh, it's fine," he said picking up Will's broom and sack and handing it to him. "You never wanna buy your books there, Brendylum's an odd one."

"Noted." Will replied.

"What's your name?" The boy asked.

"William, but you can just call me Will. Will Johnson." Will replied, glad to have made a friend so quick.

"Oh cool, I'm Dakota Cabe, the guy that just saved your butt."

Will looked slightly embarrassed.

"You er… got all your supplies yet?" He asked, looking around at the large crowds marching along.

"No, I'm still missing a wand and a pet… but, I'm new to this whole thing. I really don't know where everything is." Will said, his eyes looking at the many stores and signs, fearful he may enter one similar to his first.

"Oh, if you want, I can show you around the place, me and my brother have still got to buy wands as well." Dakota offered.

"Sorry, but didn't you just use a wand?" Will asked, foolishly.

"Oh, heh, no. I bought one of these fake wands over at Jericho's Gags and Ganders." Dakota explained, holding up a rather flimsy and cheap looking stick and pointed towards a cottage a few blocks away. "It's only capable of doing a couple of lame hexes. Bit disappointing really."

They both walked along the crowded path, joking.

"So what'd she do? Try and get you to spend more than you needed to?" Dakota asked, ducking under a wizard carrying a handful of what looked to be large, long pieces of firewood on his back.

"How'd you know?" Will laughed with a smile.

"I come here with my mom a lot to shop.I've seen it happen to everyone that shops there, good thing I saw you then." Dakota joked.

"Hey Dakota?" Will said.

"What?"

"I'm not returning this."

"Oh."

As time passed, they staggered through the huddles of people past different shops. Whether they ranged from having items far too expensive for their own liking, or just having a very bland selection, they had decided to skip these particular stores. They finally decided upon sitting on a nearby rickety bench next to an old quill shop, with hardly a soul there, save for a few of the blue pixies from earlier. (Which insisted on untying Dakota's shoes again and again, causing him to smack one with a textbook to the face, much to Will's delight.) Dakota, whose face had previously been buried in his Potions textbook, shot up off the bench pointing towards the setting sun. "So this is your first time to Salem, huh? Wait to till you see the post! It's actually ridiculous." Dakota said, wiping off his book of pixie snot. Will, confused as to what a 'post' was, looked up from examining his broomstick and saw a massive dark cloud. The cloud seemed to be full of a mix between dark greys, whites, and blacks. As it drew nearer, Will saw that it wasn't a cloud; They were _owls_. Hundreds, thousands of the flying creatures soared across the pathway above the many cottages, casting a dark shadow on the bustling townspeople. Suddenly, tiny packages and small pieces of parchments started to drop from the swarm of yellow eyes. Wizards and witches from all around grabbing and catching these objects opening them and examining their contents. Some children even got candy, and others opened up massive gifts.

One had even landed in Dakota's lap, an envelope that had ' _From Mom'_ written on it. An even bigger surprise, Will had received one as well. As soon as the massive fleet had left, leaving behind more than just letters, Will and Dakota ripped open their. "Thank Merlin, thought I wouldn't hear from the woman again for years. She's bringing Dylan, my twin brother, along with her, he slept late again…" He said, rolling his eyes in annoyance and rolling up his sleeves. Will ripped open his letter and was relieved to read that it was from his father:

 _Hey son, sorry for writing so late, got caught up in some work business. I need you to write me as soon as you get this letter, I'll meet up with you at the exit near the gate in a couple of hours. Oh, and let me know what wand you receive, I want to know!_

 _P.S., Don't ride that broom!_

 _Love, Dad_

"Hey Dakota?" Will asked.

"Yeah?"

"How do I send an owl back?"

"Oh. Hang on."

Dakota looked around for a moment until finding a stray owl near the bench on which they were sitting, hanging on a light post.

"Hey, bird. Come here." Dakota beckoned, holding out his forearm. The grey owl did as she was told, landing on the boys thick arm and staying there as he walked back to the bench.

"Thanks." Will said, pulling out parchment, quill, and ink out of his stolen knapsack. He put the paper over a book and began to write his letter quite sloppily:

 _Hey dad, I'm fine. I met a friend, Dakota Cabe, he's been showing me around Salem, and I'm fine. We're about to head towards the pet shop in a few, I'll see you when we get done with everything._

 _Will_

Will tied the rolled up parchment to the bird and told it where to go, thanks to Dakota's directions. The bird soared off the boy's thin arm, and headed off into the sunset.

"Oh, so it's like the mail." Will said, impressed at the flying bird.

"What's a mail?" Dakota asked.

Will noticed that the crowd was indeed getting smaller as time passed and was becoming increasingly more bare. Lights on shops were going out and this allowed Will to see that there was a huge difference in the huge town without as many people there.

"There they are. Finally." Dakota said, pointing towards his mother, who was walking through the front gates. Dakota pushed his books into his bag and walked towards his mother on the half-empty cobblestone path while Will followed. As they neared her, the lights reflecting from the street lamps gave Will a better view of the woman. She was much shorter than her son, with frizzy grey hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, with large, blue oceans for eyes who looked very tired, and a long, pointed nose. She was a stumpy woman, and wore orange robes, flowing on the ground. This made the dress a bit dirty on the bottom.

"Hey mom, took you long enough." He stated, sarcastically, giving her a hug. "Well, your brother slept late again, you know how he can be…" she said in a hushed tone. "He's off towards the pet shop, so find him before Salem closes-And who's this?" She said as her head turned towards Will. He pushed his glasses up. "Hi, I'm Will," he said nervously, "I met Dakota today. He helped me around."

"Oh well that's good! So you're No-Maj born then?" She said suspiciously, fastening her robe buttons.

"Oh, no ma'am, my parents just told me a few weeks ago." Will replied, not knowing such a thing existed.

"C'mon, Will, we can talk later. Salem locks down at nine, so we best find Dylan." Said Dakota, waving his mother goodbye and grabbing Will by the sleeve. "I'll meet you at gate!" She called behind them.

They traveled down the lamp-lit street, with everything the beam of light didn't hit being pitch black. The slow pace at which they walked eventually evolved into a small jog. They traveled past several closed shops, and even by Brendylum's shop, in which the imp had left her lying place. They ducked between alleyways and cut through food stands before finally reaching a circular common area which housed a fountain sprinkling silver green water from the tip, and ' _Pendulum Pets',_ a large, jagged shaped building, in which the roof's exterior were going in all directions, and the walls appearing to protrude out from one another, with a massive sign on the very top, with the slogan: " _Rats, Dogs, and Snakes, oh my!",_ but with only a few letters still lit and bright.

As they both approached the massive structure, a voice rang out from behind a nearby cottage wall. "...How about you put the book up, and face me. Stop being a total coward. It's a disgrace." Said the voice in an angry growl. Will beckoned for Dakota to lean against the stone wall, as to not be seen by the person on the other side. They both slid across the cold cottage, slowly approaching the corner. Dakota mouthed: " _Don't do it."_ to Will in the darkness. Ignoring him, Will carefully and silently peered around the corner, seeing a boy sitting at a table, reading a large book. His appearance had resembled that of Dakota. They both had the same large body, however the only apparent difference was that this particular boy had worn thin, rectangular glasses, and had much shorter hair, almost being shaved into a buzzcut. He wore a grey shirt with a red jacket and blue jeans. In front of the boy stood a lean, built boy, with dirty, sandy, greasy hair, along with small, grey eyes, and adorning a massive nose that was almost the size of his baggy black shirt that he wore with his black pants. He looked like he had to be at least seventeen. Will kept listening. "So you're not gonna answer, huh? Knew you were a freak." The tall, built boy said, pulling out his wand. "Now I'm gonna ask you _one_ more time for your sickles…" The twin of Dakota didn't even look up from his book.

"HEY!" Will shouted, the sounds echoing off the stone walls, making a few owls fly off in fear.

The built boy turned around, swiftly, as if acting like a hunting cat. Will had appeared, standing in the moonlight, Dakota was trying to bring him back behind the wall.

"You wanna play hero, scrawny?" The boy growled, apparently annoyed.

"Er…" Will stuttered, eyeing the built boy's long, green wand.

The built boy's wand was pointed directly at Will. Dakota, getting ready to leap...

" _Impediment-"_ The built boy said, attempting to cast a spell.

 _WHOOSH._

The built boy suddenly was picked off the ground and forced into the brick cottage Dakota was hiding behind with a loud smack. It was like a rag doll had been threw in mid-air. The built boy picked himself up with great difficulty, and limped away slowly, cursing, disappearing into the shadows…

The boy that had been reading stood up from his table.

"Dylan, was that _you_?" Dakota whispered, appearing from behind the cottage.

"I guess…" the twin mumbled, looking into the direction of which the boy had limped off. "He said his name was Wyatt, said he wanted my money…naturally, I didn't give it to him."

"Dylan, I don't know if you noticed, but you just performed a nonverbal spell before your first year. You don't think that's a little weird?"

"I was just irritated." Dylan replied, nonchalantly. "Who are you?" He said turning his attention to Will.

"This is William Johnson, he's new to this stuff, so don't clutter his brain with your dumb Dark Arts facts. It'll hurt his poor soul." Dakota teased.

"Wow. You stood up for me in front of that guy. You didn't even have a wand! You're either really brave, or really stupid." He said in a sarcastic tone. "I like you. I'm Dylan."

"Thanks, I guess?" Will said in a high voice.

After the trio had gotten settled, they decided that they should hurry as the time was nearing eight. They all three scuttled into the near empty pet store. Inside, there were hundreds of floors of different animals,frogs, owls, cats, dogs, of all sizes and shapes, each with a name and a colored glass pane in front of them, giving the store an inviting and colorful look. There was an old man in a wizard's hat working the front counter, who had seemingly fallen asleep, seeing as his face had smacked into an open book. Not having the time to look around, the three split up quickly, with Dakota heading towards the left, Will the middle, and Dylan the right. Dakota had found an infatuation with a grey, sleek cat with glistening aqua eyes, with the name: Mist. He scooped her out of her glass cage and paid for the animal. Dylan, after a serious time deciding, as he was particularly picky about his choice, had gone with a green, scaly snake with yellow eyes, and two long protruding fangs. I had no name, but Dylan scooped the snake out of the cage and took him to the counter anyway. With Will, there were many animals that he liked the look of, but only one that caught his eye. Running past the toads and rats on what had to be at least the fourth level, he arrived at the cage of a black and brown Yorkshire Terrier who had immediately started barking at the boy and scratching the glass. Will read the passage that had been written on a plaque near the dog:

' _Abandoned by owners for loudness, smell, and the lacking ability to listen. Found shivering cold in London during the winter, only a year old.'_

The puppy had ears bigger than it's head, and small paws with untrimmed claws along with uncut, unruly fur. The name read: 'Brody'. "Alright bud, let's get you outta here." The three boys made their decisions and purchased the animals, bursting out the store in a heap of cages and jars, rushing towards ' _Wingull's Wands_ ', another large stone building with a huge see-through glass dome in the middle of the structure. The store had no sign, only two wooden doors, in which the trio hobbled through.

The interior of the foreboding store was entirely candle-lit, and extremely quiet with no one in sight. The only sounds being made by Brody's pants and excited barks, which echoed on the cobblestone walls and ceiling. There were no other rooms, only a large stone staircase that led down into the darkness. Above the staircase, a sign, rocking back and forth, was pinned to the stone wall:

 _Wizard, don't be scared,_

 _Wizard, go down the stairs,_

 _Enter the Dome quickly and let your wand choose you…_

 _Approach the front counter when finished to complete the ceremony._

Will studied the sign, trying to figure out what it meant, but before he could, the twins dragged him along. "Don't worry, we know what we're doing." Dylan remarked, pulling Will by his skinny arm. The boy almost dropped everything, he decided on putting the broomstick in his bag, and carrying the yapping dog's cage in both his hands. They all three went down the long , dark staircase, re-emerging in a massive room, with only glass as the wall. Entering the room slowly, they all looked in awe, seeing the starry night sky. It looked like they were trapped inside a giant, transparent egg.

"What's the time, Dylan?" Will asked still mesmerized by the sight of which he saw, gaping at the tall ceiling.

" Thirty till nine."

The trio took turns, each of them eager.

Dakota was first, who stepped into the glass dome center. "This is what Mom told me to do, hope it works." He muttered, looking down through the glass floors. In the very center of the egg-like dome, sat a raised circular pillar. It was decorated with ornate patterns and emitted a glossy black color. As Dakota stepped upon the pillar, the glass dome lit a golden-yellow color, and suddenly, without warning, the whole room glistened with the color of a deep blue, casting the colors on Will and Dylan's faces. He then was raised off his feet levitating in mid-air. Will stared gaping and what he had seen. Dakota showed no signs of fear, and from what Will could see, had his eyes closed, looking very relaxed. Dakota drifted up, his body completely limp into the center of the dome. Suddenly, what must have been three dozen, hand carved, elegant sticks appeared before him in sparks of whites. His eyes still shut, trancelike, he held out his arm. A wand near the wall with a dark, almost black, blue hilt with a dark ashy coloring at the handle that smoothly transitioned into lighter shades toward the tip, slowly approached his hand. When his out stretched hand reached the stick he closed his fingers around it tightly. A loud sound that sounded like a giant ocean wave rang through the egg. The glass that aligned the walls went back to it's original see-through appearance.

Dylan and Will watched Dakota float slowly back down on the circular platform, examining his new weapon, he returned to the stairs. "Wow, that, that was something." He said, lightly. This statement made Will a bit uneasy. What did he mean by that? Dakota went and sat on one of the nearby steps, seemingly light headed. "Wait, what do you me-" Will was interrupted by Dylan. Uncaringly, Dylan hobbled up to the circular, ornate platform and stepped upon it. The glass turned the same golden color, casting a bright light, and then almost immediately turned a murky grey color changing the egg into having a melancholy atmosphere. Just like his brother before him, his eyes closed, in a relaxed state. He gracefully glided towards the center of the glass dome, relaxing his body in the air. Will looked on in shock of what was happening. Again, at least three dozen wands appeared before him in sparks of white, with a single one, a jet black, pointy wand, with a white skeletal hilt, gliding towards his outstretched hand. He grabbed it and the ear-crushing sound of what sounded like an avalanche made Will and Dakota flinch and cover their ears. The glass turned from the grey, dark color into the original see-through color it had once been. Will watched as Dylan fell slowly onto the small platform, and then stepped off, clumsily walking in a dizzying motion. He passed Will, having to lean on the wall. "Your turn," he panted, drunkenly, examining his wand and taking a seat next to his brother.

Will glanced at them nervously. "Will, don't worry, it's not that bad." Dylan said in the same drunken tone, waving around his new wand. Will nodded, and shaking with fear, stepped onto the glass. He looked down, he could see the trees and grass from outside below him through the glass. He stepped carefully on top of the circular, ornate platform. He waited. Nothing happened. No gliding or floating. Nothing. "What's going on?" He asked to the brothers, his voice bouncing off the glass that surrounded him. "We don't kno-" Dakota was cut off. Will wasn't too sure why, but he couldn't hear a thing. Not too many moments later, he felt the most relaxing feeling he had ever felt in his life. It was fleeting, like he had just done something incredible. He then couldn't see anything. He tried opening his eyes, but it was as if they were glued shut. He tried moving his arms, legs, but they were numb, he couldn't even feel them there. He suddenly felt light, like he were on the moon, floating up and up… in the darkness, he felt something, something powerful. He reached for it, seeing a bright yellow light flicker towards him.. Closer and closer until he could almost feel it- but the dancing flicker jumped back, as if nervous. Slowly, the flicker came closer and closer... _There._

He had it. He had the power. It built up inside his body and heard the deafening sound of a cyclone rampaging through his ears, and then nothing. All of a sudden, he felt as if he were falling, faster and faster through the darkness until he suddenly woke up. He stood on the same circular ornate platform, breathless, looking at the wand in which he held in his long fingers. It was a dark, burgundy color, with a silver and black hilt, that looked as if it had been carved a long time ago… he stepped down from the pillar, almost falling over on his face before gaining his balance at the last second. He stumbled toward his friends. "That's a nice looking wand, right there, wonder what core it is…" Dakota said, gathering his cat cage and knapsack. "Core? What's that?" Will asked, examining the stick in his fingers.

"A core is what powers the wand, it can be made up of a whole bunch of things. I read about it in ' _Wands: A Story of Wonder."_ Dakota stated, whilst examining his own, new wand and picking up his things.

"Come on, let's go finish up, I'm ready to go." Dylan complained monotonically, also gathering his new snake friend, who he seemed to have a strange infatuation with.

They all three clumsily walking up the steps, pushing and shoving each other, all rather excited to finish this new milestone in their unique lives.

They reached the top of the stone stairs and once again entered the dim, candle-lit room. Turning to the right at the stairs, they turned into a small archway, which led to a room filled with shelves on either side, each full with thousands of ordered, near boxes. Will guessed that these boxes must've housed other wands. This room was much brighter and inviting than one the before, having much more bright, orange candles wrapping around the entire interior. In the center of the room at the far back sit a countertop with an old man behind it. The man looked exhausted, as if he had been running the counter for days. He had wild, unruly purple hair that stuck up like giant spires on his head. Strangely, he had two eyes that couldn't be more different from one another. One was small as a dime, and of the color orange. The other, however was as big as the mans whole face, unblinking, and of the color, a deep sky-blue. These eyes were partners with a pair of goggles that didn't even fit on the man's head, as it hung loosely around his neck. He had appeared to wear a similar looking robes as the other wizards and witches.

The old man perked up as soon as the three children entered the room.

"Well hello there!" The man sang, hopping up from his sitting place and coming to greet them.

"Uh… hi there…" Will said disoriented, as the man shook his hand, wobbling the frail boy's body up and down.

"I'm so glad someone came! It's been hours since I had a customer. Come, come…"

He led the three of them to the counter and held out his gnarly, untrimmed hand for a wand inspection.

"You first, boy," his eyes falling upon Dylan. "Give me your wand."

Dylan held out his wand and gave it to the man.

"Oh… very bizarre…," he whispered, as he examined the wand, his two contrasting eyes narrowing up and down the black weapon. "My dear boy, you have a very, peculiar wand.

"Why? What is it?" Dylan demanded, slight impatience in his voice.

"Interesting…"

"What. Is. it."

"A double-core wand… with two very distinct cores."

"Tell me already old man!" Dylan asked, putting his hand on the counter.

"A basilisk fang... and the claw of a Grim…"

Dylan and Dakota gave each other rather solemn stares, while Will gave what seemed to be his usual look of confusion by this point.

"I sense, a rather dark future for you, my dear boy…best be careful with that wand…" The old man finished, picking up a large quill and jotting down something. He handed the wand back to Dylan. Dylan looking at the wand, concerned and mumbled a few words that sounded oddly like " _old coot."_

"Now you," The old man continued, this time reaching for Dakota's wand. Dakota reluctantly handed the old man his wand. He studied it for a moment, looking at the dark-colored stick. "Ah… very curious indeed," the old man studied. "A rather uncommon core… a leviathan fang…" the old man said, still looking at the wand as if he could see right through it. " I sense… a very bright future for you...very powerful...yes, indeed,… here you go…" He said, handing the wand back to the boy. Dakota seemed relieved at the news, and with a pat on the back and a "good luck", Will was left alone, still clutching his bandaged, red weapon. The old wandkeeper reached out his gnarled hand again, reaching for the wand. Will handed the wand to him, then standing back, awaiting his own inspection.

The wandkeeper looked at the burgundy wand, looking it up and down with a rather stoic face. He eyed it much more carefully than the other two, moving his long fingernails over the grooves of the wood.

"Maple wood…" he stuttered, squinting harder at the object. "With a… phoenix feather as its core." He finished.

"Is that good?" Will spoke up, eager to know.

"Oh my boy, that wand core is the rarest I've come across! You should be proud, lad. Handle it with care…" The wandkeeper trailed off, turning his back to Will and mumbling gibberish. "Will, let's go, or we'll be late." Dylan said, sticking his wand in the pocket of his red jacket.

Will turned towards the two, and they all gathered their pets and sacks, and walked out of the candle-lit room rather quickly, into the cool, night breeze, back into the circular enclove.

"What's the time, Dylan," Will asked as he struggled with the dog crate, almost dropping it into the nearby fountain.

" _Crap._ It's ten till nine."

"Ten minutes?," Dakota remarked, also having trouble with his accessories, dropping his sack to the stone ground. "That gives us plenty of time."

"No Dakota. Ten _seconds."_ Dylan corrected, looking miserable.

At the end of those ten seconds, out of the night sky, a couple hundred feet up in the air, a purple, fizzing sphere appeared from out of nowhere. It shot white sparks from it, raining it down on the cottages below. They boys looked up, frightened and confused.

"Does that usually happen?" Will exclaimed, squinting at the rapidly vibrating orb.

"We've been late before, the only thing we got was a warning from a shopkeeper…" He said, a look of utter shock upon his face.

Suddenly, the ball shook violently, shooting out bigger sparks, as if it was an egg about to hatch. It kept vibrating, harder and harder. The purple sphere began to warp and shift, a deep lavender color bursting between its newly formed cracks. Finally, with one final shake, the ball burst in the night sky, a deep, purple dome began to form around the whole city, slowly entrapping any poor soul.

"T-That's an entrapment orb, I've read about them, they're like bombs, they go off at a set time and put an unbreakable dome over their target." Said Dakota, as he beckoned the others into a light jog.

"I bet this wand could break it." Said Dylan, eyeing the slowly enveloping purple magic and twisting the wand in between his meaty fingers.

"No, Dylan, you idiot. I literally just said that they were unbreakable!" Dakota retorted.

"Then we've gotta get under it, and fast, before Salem becomes an igloo!" Will interrupted, rapidly swinging Brody, who was whimpering, and the bag in his arms.

They were all running now, panting and huffing as they side-stepped in between cottage alleys, seeing the shop owners step out their front doors and look in shock of the creeping curse that lit the sky.

"Who… Could've set… that…" Will panted in between breaths, pushing up his glasses.

"You… know it was that Wyatt… kid…" Dylan breathed as he and Dakota struggled to keep up, their shoes dripping with wet, fresh mud.

"I doubt it; you know they're illegal, the only place they're housed is at Illvermorny." Dakota replied, slipping and sliding among the brown goop.

The three picked up their pace, but the exit gate seemed nowhere in sight. Will looked up again to see that the dome was halfway formed, trickling down like a raindrop on a window. The shopkeepers were now disappearing back into whence they came; apparently too frightened to stay out in the night. The trio's footsteps and breaths were all that could be heard, as their shoes slammed hard against the pavement, and their breath rapid and clumsy.

"We're not gonna make it," Dakota replied wearily, looking ahead at the purple dome that neared the ground.

"It's over…"

"How long does the dome stay!?" Will asked, his lungs practically collapsing as he sprinted harder, his blue eyes staring straight ahead.

" At least a few days," Dylan huffed, starting to slow his pace from exhaustion. "We'll miss the first couple days of school."

Will kept running at an alarming rate, shooing pixies away from his face and taking sharp turns through the barren streets in hopes it would bring him closer to the exit gates. His father must be worried sick, he remembered his letter that he had received earlier, and how his father had told him to meet him… and to not…

 _Ride the broom._

It was like a lightbulb had popped into the boy's head. Still running rapidly through the cobblestone streets, he spoke to the twins:

"Guys! I can't believe I hadn't thought of it earlier! It's been right in front of me this whole time!"

 _Whoosh._

They ducked under a hanging sign, still sprinting, a little slower now.

"Will cut the drama and tell us! Now!" Dakota shrieked, not taking his eyes off the giant lavender dome that had manifested around them; casting a dark ominous glow over the whole city.

"My _broom._ It's been here this whole time, we can ride it! It'll be much faster!" Will huffed, pulling the broom from his knapsack. They all came to sudden halt, their shoe treads slipping against the hard grass on the ground.

"Are you insane?" Dylan barked, giving Will a look of anger. "That old thing couldn't carry a house-elf two meters."

"Plus, using it would get us suspended from school. You're dad told you not to!" Dakota chimed in, running his large hands through his long hair.

"We've gotta try. It's our only option." Will replied back, once again looking at the dome in the clouds, the end of it nearly reaching the Earth. Reluctantly, all three boys discarded their animal's cages, plopping them into their backpacks. Mist was not particularly fond of this, scratching its grey paws against the brown leather of the inside of Dakota's bag. Silzon seemed rather okay with this, lazily curling up inside the sack. Brody, the energetic ball of excitement that he was, had settled on sticking his small head out the sack opening of Will's bag. Once the trio had sorted their belongings into the sacks to prepare for the flight, the dome was a few twenty feet from enveloping Salem. They quickly strapped the bags on. Will fiddled with the broom, attempting to make it rigid like his father had done. On his third try, he had done it, stiff as a board in seemingly thin air. They all three clumsily hobbled onto the tiny object, surprisingly not giving away to the extra passengers. Will held on to the oak, gripping it tight in his small palms. They all barely fit, with Dakota on the back, hanging off the end, his rump in the bristles. It immediately lowered slightly from all the added weight.

"You know how to fly this thing, right?" Dylan asked, looking back to pull his brother up.

"No. But, there's a first time for everything, right?" Will responded, eyeing the ever enclosing wall.

Will leaned his body forwards, eyes straight ahead, a stern expression across his face. To his surprise, the broom started moving. Slowly at first, the boys grabbed each other's waists, as they soon began to slide off. Will leaned forward a bit more, picking up speed. He narrowly avoided a few owls eating crumbs on the gleaming purple path. He then tilted the broom upwards towards the sky, gaining altitude and reaching a point where he flew at the height the owls did. The cold night wind began to lash at their faces, and their hair blow in the breeze. Will wobbled with the broom, not having any prior knowledge on how to ride it. He steadied himself and tried to keep the speeding object afloat, as it steadily lowered every few moments.

"Will! Look!" Dakota pointed, almost falling off onto one of the gleaming light posts below.

Will narrowed his eyes to where Dakota had been pointing. This height gave them a much better look at the purple magic. The dome was deadly close now, teasing the gate exit. The gate seemed so far away, for what had to be miles. With one clumsy attempt, Will lurched his small body forward, rocketing the boys in a blaze of speed. Brody ducked his head quickly into Will's bag as the boy did this. He felt Dylan's fingers puncture his lungs out of impulse, causing Will to wince. Yet, his eyes remained forward, fixed upon the gate far away. To Will, it had seemed as if they were going faster than his father on his first trip there. He managed to maneuver chimneys full of smoke, owls fluttering about, and large spires that protruded from the small houses. All the while, his eyes fixed upon the gate, that seemed closer now. He lurched further on the small broom, the harsh wind sucking breath from the three boys as Will continued to gain speed, like a comet in the purple glow of Salem.

He gained more and more speed, the gate coming closer and closer into view now. His body hunched over as far as it would go, ignoring the other two boys gasps and pleads to be let down, he was so close to being free, to saving his new friends, the purple magic bearing down on his face like a hot sun, the wind collapsing his lungs, he was at the gate now, the purple magic scraping his hair and he didn't make he would sure die from impact… To his shock, the broom had left his grip and he was now free falling. He plummeted what for what felt like forever. He waggled his arms and legs around, not able to stop himself from speeding towards to what looked to be a black, dark field…

Will hit the ground, hard. Skidding through puddles of mud and laying very still after a brief slide. He tried moving, to look for Dylan and Dakota. But he felt too weak. He lie there, in immense pain, as if someone had just stabbed him with a thousand tiny daggers. The cold night air breathing down his face. He tried keeping his eyes open, but failing to do so, as his last view before he fainted was of the bright black sky, a million stars playing upon it, no purple in sight...


End file.
